2016 Nissan Altima: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2016 Nissan Altima

Known patterns for this year and model, not findings about one car. A well-kept example may already have had the fix. Costs are rough US shop prices.

2016 Nissan Altima recalls

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2016 Nissan Altima. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• Doors & latches

  Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

  Details 20V315000

  Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.

  Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owner’s Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.

• Body structure

  If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.

  Details 18V915000

  Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles, previously remedied under recall number 17V-040. The door latch-lock cable may not have been routed properly in the rear door when the remedy was applied. As a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulator causing the rear passenger door to unlatch and inadvertently open without warning when the window is lowered.

  Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7669.

• Doors & latches

  If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.

  Details 17V040000

  Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles. The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.

  Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

• Airbags

  If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

  Details 16V244000

  Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

  Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

2016 Nissan Altima safety investigations and free repairs

Under investigation (not a recall):

• Desiccated air bag inflator rupture since Sep 2021

Ask the seller if the car has had this problem.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Lights: Halogen Headlamp Class Action Owner Notification Beginning October 25, 2021, current and former owners and lessees of certain 2013-2018 Altimas will…
• Exhaust and emissions: Therefore, Nissan is extending the emission warranty on the Rear Oxygen Sensor in the case of a short-to-ground condition to 20 Years or 200,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
• Suspension: Rear Lower Suspension Link Warranty Extension Dealer Notification In October 2019, Nissan launched a Voluntary Service Campaign (P9324) on MY2013…
• Transmission: CVT Class Action Owner Notification Attention: Dealer Principal, Sales, Service & Parts Managers In early November, current and former owners and…

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2016 Nissan Altima safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

553 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, which is a lot.

What a 2016 Nissan Altima is worth

Rough trade-in values — roughly what a dealer would pay — by mileage, from published trade-in guides. Private sales and dealer prices run higher. For the exact car, add its VIN.

Other Nissan Altima years

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024